The Gateway to Heaven

TEXT: LUKE 18:18–30

“Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee” (Luke 18:28).

Man’s attitude is always to make a big deal of the little he does.
This religious ruler came to Jesus to seek the way to eternal life. What he got shocked him. He knew the commandments and declared gleefully: “All these have I kept from my youth up.” Like every self-righteous, he thought of how great he must be standing before God. As a keeper of the law, he thought the kingdom of God must be his already.

But a shocker was coming for him. With excitement he waited to know the “the one thing”, he lacked. If he has been able to do all the others, this one thing won’t be a big problem. He must have felt sure that he will pass the test. Then the shocker came: “Sell all that thou hast and come, follow me.” He became very sorrowful because he possessed great material wealth.

Many of us professing Christians are like this ruler. We make much noise of our Christianity while really we are only playing religion. We do the convenient and leave the needful undone.

What does God want? To enter into the kingdom, we cannot hold anything away from the Lord. We can’t set boundaries for the Lord. God wants “all” not “a part”. It is either all or none. He wants the best of you and not the worthless.

Examine your dealings with the Lord. What have you given to the Lord? What is it that you are holding back? The Lord’s conditions are: one, we should not be possessed by our possessions – money, gold, spouse, children, career, etc. Two, we need to share what we have with others who are less privileged. Three, lay up our treasures in heaven. Four, take up our cross and follow Him.

If we do these, with God’s grace upon our lives, we shall be accounted worthy to enter into the Kingdom of God to live with Him eternally.

Entrance into heaven demands more than religion